Andrew Leslie

[Foreign Affairs, November 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the right of freedom of religion or belief must and shall be protected.

We are very relieved that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has cleared Asia Bibi of charges of blasphemy. We urge the Government of Pakistan to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Asia Bibi and her family. We continue to urge the government and the people of Pakistan to reform the application of the blasphemy laws to prevent the targeting of religious minorities.

[International Trade, November 2nd, 2018]

Madam Speaker, these unjustified and illegal tariffs are hurting the American economy, American workers and American consumers of course. The national security excuse is absurd and insulting to Canadians. That is why we have imposed measured tariffs that are perfectly reciprocal. Canada must stand united against these attacks on our workers.

[Foreign Affairs, November 1st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not want exports to be used to violate human rights. That is why our government is committed to a stronger and more rigorous arms export system. We are reviewing export permits to Saudi Arabia, we have frozen permits in the past and we will not hesitate to do so again if necessary.

[Small Business Week, October 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, small businesses represent 98% of all Canadian businesses and employ more than eight million Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

With Small Business Week coming to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate some of the hard-working small businesses right here in the city of Ottawa, specifically in my riding, by drawing special attention to Echo Audiology, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary in Orleans; Stray Dog Brewing Company, which was recently named one of five best new breweries in Canada; Aura Design & Integration, which just opened its doors this fall; Gloucester Pottery School, which employs and represents our vibrant arts community by employing dozens of students and training them in the arts; and OakWood, which was recently awarded with Renovator of the Year.

Again, I want to acknowledge and thank the entrepreneurs in our community for the important role that they play. I am proud to celebrate Small Business Week with you and all members of the House.

[Foreign Affairs, October 17th, 2018]

‘Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty amendments, entitled “Amendments to Annex I of the International Convention against Doping in Sport”, notified on October 1, 2018; and “Amendments to Annex II of the International Convention against Doping Sport”, notified on October 1, 2018.

[International Trade, October 16th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the aisle and Stephen Harper said over and over that Canada needed to drop its demands and agree to a bad deal. We refused to capitulate, and we secured a good deal for Canadians. The agreement is supported by leaders on all sides, including union leader Jerry Dias, provincial premiers, and former ministers from the Conservative Party and other parties.

[International Trade, October 16th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the unjustified and illegal tariffs imposed by the United States on steel and aluminum are harmful to the U.S. economy and of course our own. The national security pretext has been and remains absurd.

That is why we have imposed retaliatory tariffs, and it was really in sorrow and anger, of course, that these were implemented. Now is the time for us to come together, work through, and get rid of these illegal and unjust tariffs on our steel and aluminum products.

[Foreign Affairs, October 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the following three treaties:

“Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Kosovo for the Promotion and Protection of Investments”, done at Toronto, March 6, 2018;

“Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Moldova for the Promotion and Protection of Investments”, done at Ottawa, June 12, 2018;

“Agreement between the Government of Canada and the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, in relation to the functioning of the Canadian Commissioner of Patents as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty”, done at Geneva on September 28, 2018.

[International Trade, October 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians. We are working with the provinces and territories to make prescription drugs more affordable. We have joined the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which has helped Canadians save over $2 billion annually. We are investing more than $140 million to improve access to health care and support innovation in that area.

[International Trade, October 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we know how proud Canadians are of our public health care system. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our partners to reduce drug costs and provide timely access to drugs. This is a very important issue for our government. We look forward to attracting new medical research to Canada. Our government will always defend our public health care system.